A Rose on Peachtree: Photography, Videography & Artifacts

From September 20 – October 10, 2013, the Atlanta Preservation Center, in collaboration with M.H. Mitchell, Inc., will present A Rose on Peachtree. This exhibit honoring the 1901 Rufus Rose House on Peachtree Street will feature photography by Jason Travis, videography by Michael Morgan and artifacts from the R.M. Rose Distillery. The opening on Friday, September 20, 2013 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm will include a talk with the artists and collaborators at 7:30 pm. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. The APC is located in the 1856 LP Grant Mansion, 327 St Paul Ave SE, Atlanta GA 30312.

One of Peachtree Street’s last remaining Victorian homes, the Rufus M. Rose House is a constant through decades of history on Atlanta's most famous street. Travis and Morgan’s work will focus on the house in its present-day environment. Artifacts from the R.M. Rose Distillery including bottles, jugs, advertising materials and historic photographs will be on display courtesy of author and historian Jeff Clemmons. The Rufus Rose House has been on the APC’s Most Endangered Historic Places List since 2007. The APC and M.H. Mitchell, Inc. are celebrating the house through the arts to advocate for its preservation and to forge new connections within these communities.

The exhibition grew out of the summer internship of Jessica Sheppard with M.H. Mitchell, Inc. which was supported by the Atlanta Preservation Center. Sheppard is an undergraduate student of history with Dr. Scott Matthews at Georgia State University. She was charged with taking historical information about Rufus M. Rose and the historic home and “repackaging for a contemporary audience.” For her research she interviewed APC Executive Director Boyd Coons and APC member and tour guide Clemmons and examined APC’s extensive files on the efforts to preserve the structure. She shared what she learned with her colleagues who also became interested in the story of the house. Towards the end of the internship, Sheppard asked the APC to support her desire to continue to advocate for the house with an exhibit of Travis and Morgan’s art work. Clemmons then volunteered to lend his artifacts to enhance the exhibit.

M.H. Mitchell, Inc. is a non-profit that supports the preservation of Southern history. Led by David Yoakley Mitchell, the organization accomplishes this goal through education, protection, encouragement, research and promotion. Current projects include the Georgia Historic Marker Post Replacement Program and the restoration of Fort Walker in Grant Park.

The purpose of the Atlanta Preservation Center is to promote the preservation of Atlanta’s architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes through education and advocacy. The LP Grant Mansion has been home to the APC since 2002 and features a 680 square foot gallery in its Drawing Room. This gallery is host to exhibitions that underscore the Center’s mission. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the preserved environment is a valuable and inspirational part of the present.